Spirits Within
by Clockwork's Apprentice
Summary: After an experience that nearly cost him this half-life, Clockwork sends Danny to a different dimension. While this one still had ghosts, at least they were better than the ones they were used to dealing with. Now a bit older and known as a popular Spiritualist/Ghost Hunter, Danny finds himself joined with a ghost hunting team called SPR. REWRITE OF SPIRITUALIST
1. Prologue

**Author Note: At last, I've finally had the time to rewrite my favorite fic, Spiritualist. It was my first _long_ fanfiction and one of my favorite crossovers, so it holds a special place in my heart. Some things will remain the same, but there are a lot that is going to be changed. I wrote the original fanfiction back in really early 2015, so I was like not even sixteen when I wrote it (as I turned sixteen late 2015). Now that I'm older and have more writing experience, my writing has improved drastically and looking back, I'm able to see a lot more potential within Spiritualist, a majority of it lost in the original. So I want to give it the rewriting it deserves.**

 **AU in both 'verses – Danielle/Dani (Ellie) is younger, about four years old instead of twelve**

 **Title:** Spirits Within (former title - Spiritualist)

 **Summary:** After an experience that nearly cost him this half-life, Clockwork sends Danny to a different dimension. While this one still had ghosts, at least they were better than the ones they were used to dealing with. Now a bit older and known as a popular Spiritualist/Ghost Hunter, Danny finds himself joined with a ghost hunting team called SPR. REWRITE OF SPIRITUALIST

 **Genre:** Mystery/Suspense

 **Rating:** High T for gore, blood, suspense, supernatural horror, and implied death

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own nor claim Danny Phantom. I do not own nor claim Ghost Hunt._

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

* * *

There were small decisions in one's life that could change them forever – maybe you didn't buy that fancy cheese at the market which would have later gave you food poisoning, maybe you went left when you went to work without knowing that should you have gone right you would have gotten into a car crash, maybe you didn't realize that the pregnancy test was a false positive only to go to the doctor and find out you have ovarian cysts. No one knew what choices they'd make throughout the day that could change their lives forever. One may think they knew how their day was going to go the moment that they locked their front door and headed to work without realizing that there were many, _many_ things that could or couldn't happen that could change the course of their entire _week._

But aside from a higher power, there was only one being that actually _did_ know what would happen once someone left their house or left the stove on or in the case of one Daniel James Fenton, when one told their _ghost hunting_ parents that they were _half-ghost._ He hoped that time would take one of the other routes – all had some form of tragedy, but none of them were as worse as the one that _did_ take course. Though he was the master of the time, Clockwork hated how when it came to the will of people and their predestined fate, they rarely took the timeline he hoped.

All he could do was watch – watch as a sixteen year old hero was strapped onto a table by the ones who were supposed to love him, watch as they tore him open again and again to perform tortures and experiments that even _he_ couldn't help but look away during particular gruesome moments. He wished he was deaf so he didn't have to hear Daniel's screams – _Daniel,_ young, naive, trusting, _heroic, passionate, Daniel_ screaming as they took what trust and love he had in the world and _ripped_ it out of him. The Observants made it clear to Clockwork that despite whatever may happen, that he couldn't step in. It was an order he conveniently forgot when he watched flames flicker through the Fenton lab, burning the hunters to a crisp in a corner while Daniel fell limp on a table, accepting his fate.

No. This simply wouldn't do. He just couldn't allow it.

 _Time Out._

* * *

The first thing Danny realized when he started to gain consciousness was the fact that he _was_ starting to gain consciousness. There were no pearly white gates nor fire and brimstone. His body hurt too much for him to have become a full ghost. Unless the pain was some twisted version of rebirth. When he finally got the strength to blink open his eyes, blurry purples and greens melted together in his vision. _This is it. I'm a ghost now. I'm in the Ghost Zone. I'm dead._ He gave up trying to see his surroundings, closing his eyes and letting his body go completely limp once more against what felt oddly like cotton-made sheets. Maybe if he stayed still long enough, he could end his existence of being a ghost before it even began. Maybe one of his enemies would come along and see an opportunity they couldn't pass. Maybe come tomorrow, Skulker will be sitting in a recliner with a mug of hot chocolate by a fire with his body as a rug beneath his feet and his head on the wall like a proud trophy.

 _And now I'm awake._

His body was almost too stiff and sore to sit up as he opened his eyes with a groan. He noticed the bandages wrapped around his body, which likely explained the light but constricting feeling against his torso, wrapping the large gaping wound on his chest. Multiple other bandages lined his skin and he briefly wondered how scarred this whole ideal would make him. But one thought stood out a bit more than the others – _he was definitely not a full ghost._ He could still feel his heart, no matter how slow it was, beating in his chest. His body was cold, but held more warmth to it then ghosts. The bandages were stained with a comforting mixture of red and green. _And definitely still human – at least I don't have to worry about becoming Dan at the moment._ _But who would –_ He stopped. He could hear the faint ticking of clocks outside what appeared to be a medical room. He leaned back against the bed with a heavy sigh. _Clockwork. Th_ _ank goodness._

As if being summoned by the mere thought, the ghostly time master appeared in the room with a small smile, shifting from a toddler to a young adult.

"I'm glad to see that you awake."

Danny snorted. "As if you didn't know I would."

Clockwork hummed, adjusting the dial on his specter, "In one timeline, you wouldn't awaken and merely die in my healing space. Another you awakened deathly afraid, screaming at the top of your lungs before collapsing into a coma."

Danny sat a bit straighter, "Really?"

"No. But what I _can't_ predict is how long your healing process will be – gaping vivisection wounds are tricky like that. But you will be staying here until you're healed, possibly after considering what route the timeline takes."

Danny opened his mouth to ask a question, but the time master had already disappeared. He deflated in defeat, sinking comfortably back into the medical bed to the best of his ability. He closed his eyes and maybe, _just maybe,_ he could get some sleep.

 _He never felt heartbreak before, never knew what it was like for your heart to shatter in your chest, to have your world crumble around you and life as you know it ceased to exist. For some it was when their crush rejected them, others when long-time partners left them, when best friends stabbed you in the back, or when you tell your ghost-hunting parents that you, yourself, are half-ghost. Fear, rejection, pain, all bubbled within the chest that they tore open with a long cut down his torso._

 _He let out a gut-retching scream as he struggled against the binds that kept him to the table. Tears streamed down his face until his eyes could no longer cry. His body felt hot, burning, as if someone had lit his insides on fire. Yet his parents merely stood over him, talking among themselves as they jotted down notes. Bloody medical equipment laid on a table beside him, steel stained with red and green – his blood._

" _I'm your son," his throat felt raw and tight, his voice raspy, "I'm your son! Please stop, please stop..."_

 _They got used to his pleas and after a while, they no longer responded to him with venomous words, spitting on him that he was scum, no son of theirs. He couldn't breathe. Everything was getting blurry, his head aching as much as his body. He never stopped pleading, no matter how much it hurt nor how much his voice kept giving out on him. But it didn't matter. They didn't see him as their son anymore. He was nothing more than a ghost. A freak._

 _'I'm more than a ghost.' It was becoming harder and harder to stay awake. 'I'm your son. I'm human. I'm human."_

 _He wasn't sure how long he was out, just that when he managed to finally open his eyes again, he could see nothing but thick dark smoke swirling dangerously through the room as hot red flames licked the ceiling. He weakly tugged at his wrists, but soon collapsed back onto the table. He could see them in the corner, the smell of their burning flesh becoming stronger than the smell of ectoplasmic-infused blood. It was only a matter of time before the fire reached him. Was this how he was going to die? Not in the blaze of heroic glory, but in a melancholic one that matched the way he gave up._

 _This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't what he imagined. He was supposed to tell his parents so that they could stop hunting him. He was supposed to be getting more sleep, maybe turning more homework on time as his parents hunted the real bad ghosts. He was supposed to train them so they could fight and protect themselves from Vlad. He was supposed to be going to the movies tomorrow – was it tomorrow? He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he knew that before this had happened he had plans to go the movies on the following weekend._

 _He closed his eyes, his body falling limp. His lungs burned with every intake of air. He finally just held his breath and waited._

 _But then there was nothing._

Danny woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air as his hand clutched his chest. His eyes were wide and frantic with panic. His chest burned and he let out a shuddering mix of sobs as he curled into himself. His hands tucked between his torso and his knees, absently scratching at his bandages, right where the incision was. I'm your son, I'm your son. His body rocked and he clutched his eyes closed tight. I'm your son. Please stop. Please stop. I'm your son.

He recoiled back with a start when a hand grabbed his shoulder, but relaxed seeing Clockwork staring at him with understanding, sympathetic eyes.

"I wish I could have intervened sooner, Daniel."

For a moment, all was quiet before Danny jumped onto the time master, grabbing him and pulling him close into a broken embrace. Sobbing into the shoulder of his cloak. Clockwork let him, loosely wrapping his arms around him to rub comforting circles on his back – his own core ached at the pain of the younger halfa, making a silent vow that should the fire not have killed the hunters, he would have himself, Observants be damned. In his arms, he held the future King of the Ghost Zone, he held the savior of the worlds, the hero of ages and of legends, a future Spiritualist, and he refused to let him suffer here.

* * *

Weeks went by, possibly even months – he wasn't entirely sure, despite being in the Time Master's lair, there was hardly a good way to keep track of what he considered to be the present time. His wounds slowly began to heal, leaving him scars that were slashed deep into his flesh and enough nightmares to last a lifetime. Meditation was his only escape, a way to gain control of the icy burn of his core and cast out the demons that threatened his mind. With meditation came control and with control, power. His two forms merged to form his present being, blending his hair into an ashy gray and his eyes swirling with a mixture of icy blue and toxic green. He let the icy ectoplasm dance upon his fingertips before he closed his fist to let it die out, looking toward Clockwork with caution.

"What are you up to, Stopwatch?"

Clockwork offered a small smile, but promptly ignored the question. "Have you read those books I gave you?"

Danny winced, thinking about the pile of books stacked up in the medical room that he had claimed as his own temporary one. No verbal answer was needed as Clockwork merely hummed. He already knew the answer, amusement and annoyance both rising in his core. He rolled his eyes, muttering something about teenagers, before he continued at a more audible level.

"You'll have plenty time to read while you finish your recovery, but for now, you have visitors."

Danny furrowed his brows, about to question who on Earth (in the Zone?) would want to visit him, but it was a question answered quickly by a small body tackling him to the ground. He fell to his rear with a pained groan, but breathed a sigh of relief when a second person lifted the first off of him. He blinked his eyes open to see two familiar faces, a grin breaking out on his face. He couldn't think of a single other moment where he was this happy to see his sisters – Jasmine stood there with a smile that was just shy of reaching her eyes, a little girl propped onto her hip. The small four year old reached out her arms happily, giggling and babbling for Danny. The weight keeping him down lifted and despite the pain shooting through his rear and lower back, he got back up onto his feet to take the girl out of Jasmine's arms.

Danielle, known as Ellie, happily crawled and wiggled in his arms, reaching out for his hair, before stopping and looking him hard in the eyes. A grim, thoughtful expression passed on her face. Danny's shoulders grew tense, his grip tightened on her as he swallowed thickly.

"Your eyes are weird," she announced firmly, as if it was a fact of nature rather than the blunt opinion of a four year old.

Danny's expressions became a strange mixture of relief, annoyance, and amusement; it turned to the later when he saw Jasmine hiding her laugh from the corner of his eyes.

"She's right you know," Jasmine's voice was laced with laughter, causing him to roll his eyes.

"I see how it is," he adjusted his hold on Ellie, "A guy nearly dies and in his process of healing, you _wound_ him. I'm _hurt,_ Jazz. _Hurt."_

There was a flicker of _something_ across Jasmine's face – pain? Remorse? Shame? Guilt? - before she offered a sympathetic smile, stepping forward with open arms. Danny failed to get away before he was captured into a big embrace, Ellie phasing out of their hug to get free. On any normal day of the week, he would've done the same thing, but he relaxed into the hug and let himself lean on his sister, the only family he had left aside from the little girl that was currently trying to reach Clockwork's staff. He closed his eyes tightly and buried his head into Jasmine's shoulder, his breathing turning a bit ragged. He desperately tried to keep his mind calm, but the relaxation and meditation techniques became useless once the dam broke. His sister merely rubbed comforting circles on his back, knowing the emotional turmoil he must be going through.

"They hurt me Jazz," he whispered.

A pang of pain and shame swept through her. He grip became tighter, squeezing him even closer to her as her nails dug into his back. She knew that they hurt him – _Damn did she know._ She knew full well what their parents – no, what _Maddie and Jack –_ did to him while she was away at a college seminar. She knew what she came home to. She knew how many nights she spent restless and crying, angry at herself for leaving. She knew how that that anger turned toward her previous parents the _second_ Clockwork had came to her with the truth. She knew _damn well_ that if they weren't dead, she'd take care of them herself. A parent was supposed to protect and when they failed – the job fell to the older sister.

"I know," she whispered back, desperately trying not to let her own tears free. She had to be strong for her little brother. "I know, baby brother, I'm sorry, but where we're going, no one from Amity will bother us again. Not the Guys in the White, not Vlad, not _anyone."_

Danny took a deep breath and pulled away, his eyes glazed over with tears looked at her with confusion, "Wait, where are we going?"

Jasmine tore away from him at the question to look toward Clockwork with a harsh glare – she almost faltered seeing him in his toddler form, happily letting Danielle play with his cloak, a small smile on his lips. He stopped, shifting to a young adult before finally an elder one, the smile gone as he realized he had gotten caught. Jasmine could already feeling the headache forming, a heavy sigh leaving her nose as she pinched its bridge.

"You didn't tell him," her question cut through the air sharply.

A ghostly almost-all-might being should never look sheepish, yet Clockwork came very close under the glare of the oldest Fenton sibling. He offered a small shrug, moving through the air with his ghostly tail swaying behind him – Ellie tried, and failed, at grasping at it as it whipped around her.

"I hadn't had the time."

Jasmine came close to the second aneurysm she ever had in her life in that moment, her face going beat red as her cheeks puffed out. She took a step forward, ready to make it very clear that his answer wasn't even close to acceptable. She stopped when Danny grabbed her arm with a warning look. She took a deep breath and stood her ground firmly, crossing her arms against her chest with a pointed look toward the time master.

"Tell me what," Danny matched his sister's posture with a raising eyebrow, only glancing down briefly when Danielle plopped herself by their feet, fiddling with a time medallion.

"A new world needs you Daniel," Clockwork spoke in his ominous, all-knowing tone, one that either ended well or horribly for Danny. He hoped for the former. "Your place here has vanished with your parents' deaths and until you are needed again as a king, your abilities lay helpful elsewhere. Something you would have known should you have read those books. I assure you the world you are headed to is similar to your earth in many ways, different in others. The presence of ghosts from this Infinite Realm are limited and rare due to the world's lower ectoplasmic range, leaving spirits and demons to wander the earth like the times of old. One day that will change and that world will need someone there to protect it, to guide it, help it learn."

Danny made a face, "Why is there always some chosen-one prophecy involving me?"

Clockwork's eyes lit up in a way that told he knew more than he said. "The day you stepped into the portal, you forever changed your fate, tying it more to this realm than the realm of the living."

Danny groaned in exasperation, muttering something about Clockwork needing to drop the Yoda-speak and just say something to him straight for once. Jasmine patted his shoulder in comfort, but shared a knowing nod with Clockwork.

"The new world awaits you Daniel," Clockwork continued, stepping aside to let a portal into view – it spiraled with greens and blues and purples, a fuzzy image of what seemed to be a park shown in its depths, "Jasmine will catch you up to speed – your life, your backstories. Your names shall remain the same and as of today, your sister is the renter of a large office building as well as a nicely sized studio apartment. Your bags and things are already packed and delivered."

Danny hesitated, looking between his older sister, Clockwork, and his seemingly oblivious younger sister. _Why would Jazz need an office building? Why a big studio apartment if it's only going to be us three there?_ He bit his bottom lip, but an encouraging motion from Jazz, he stepped through the portal knowing that both her and Ellie would follow suit. He hoped he was doing the right thing here as he realized that they were indeed transported into a park with what seemed to be Japanese billboards in the distance – _Japan? Why would he bring us here?_ He furrowed his brows, thinking over all of the things Clockwork had said to him, hoping to find an answer hidden in the time master's words. Something stood out a bit more than the others that caused more questions than answers.

He turned around, looking over his sisters' shoulders, "Wait – what did you mean by a king - "

The portal was gone.

 _Figures._


	2. Beginings

**Ah it wasn't supposed to take this long for me to get this chapter done, but life has been busier than planned. Future chapters, however, will be much more frequent and longer. Much has changed from the original, The Spiritualist, especially after realizing there are many, many different (and fun/exciting) ways to get Danny introduced to everybody and boy howdy, I'm going to have fun playing this out.**

 **Please review!**

 **-CWA**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE – BEGINNINGS**

* * *

 **TWO YEARS LATER**

 **DANNY**

I woke up in a cold sweat and cursed when I realized that despite all the control I had been working on, my abilities still crept through during my nightmares. Jazz won't be happy that I burned another set of sheets, but at least she wouldn't be getting frustrated over ectoplasmic stains again. Frustrated, I looked at the clock. Eight o'clock in the morning wasn't, in itself, a horrible time to wake up. But after the night of restless sleep and nightmares I had, I'd rather go back to sleep for at least another three hours. For a moment, resting the urge to sleep, I merely closed my eyes.

I focused on the rising and lowering of my chest. Though now that my forms had merged, I hardly breathed, still I concentrated on what breaths I did take. _One… Two… Three…_ I imagined my core – an orb of power, energy, and soul deep in my chest. My center of being. The pulsating energy slowly began to match the beat of my breaths. I could feel the icy chill start to crawl down my spine. I could see it so clearly and I imagined it merging into my heart, my two beings becoming one, two sides of the same coin. _Six… Seven… Eight…_ I breathed in, my surroundings flooding into my senses. I could feel the mattress under my palm, its threads lightly grazing against the skin of my fingertips. I could feel the breeze of the AC fan on the other side of the room, buzzing softly in my ear, a shuffle of tissues following suit. I could hear birds scuttling outside through the rustle of leaves, the rough textured sound of talons against bark. Energy buzzed deeply in my veins, racing through my body. I breathed it out, the nervous, frightened buzzing leaving my being, with only a peaceful happiness left behind.

I could feel the remains of power still in my veins. It was always there. Growing a bit stronger with each day, each session, every training. I knew I was getting more powerful. I looked down at my palms and when I squinted, I could see a faint green aura against my skin. I hoped that I would never become _too_ powerful – a sharp intake of breath - _red eyes, manic laughter, flames, fangs gleaming in the sunlight._ I breathed the images out and swung myself out of bed.

 _Duty calls_ – and it left probably left a dozen voicemails on the messaging machine. I never knew I was so capable of both _loving_ and _hating_ work. I rub my eyes and don't bother with the doors, phasing directly through the far wall to get to the kitchen.

I could hear the rustle and bustle of Tokyo's busy streets, despite being on the top floor of our building. Below us, our office was still closed for another hour or so. I was thankful for Sam's 'anime' phase that led us toward taking Japanese as our foreign credit in both Middle and High School, though maybe Clockwork had something to do with it just to set this whole thing up. I still wondered sometimes why he choose this location, but I already knew what answer he'd give me. _All will be revealed in due time, Daniel._ I supposed it did work out in the best though – it usually did. After all, Jazz and I got a successful ghost hunting business out of the whole ideal. _Fenton Flames._ An ironic name, especially considering our legal files here listed us all as orphans after a 'tragic fire' killed our parents. Sometimes the best way to lie was to sprinkle in truth. My breathing shuttered a bit more as I liked, my side beginning to grow warm. An uncomfortable prickly sensation spread through my torso. _Phantom pain, ha._ I rubbed my side knowing full-well that it was only funny when it wasn't currently happening. _No that's a lie, it's always pun-y._

"Use the doors, Danny," Jazz didn't even look up from the paperwork scattered on the kitchen table, an almost empty cup of coffee beside it. "What if I had a client over or we had guests?"

I made a face, mumbling about how we never invited people up. My casual use of powers aside, Ellie was still in training over just the basic control of her powers. I glanced at the way my little sister floated absently through the kitchen, happily drinking apple juice of a sippy cup. I looked toward the dirty cups still in the sink – _all_ of our cups aside from the one Jazz was currently using – and then toward the _clean_ sippy cups left in the cupboard. I have really been reduced down to that level? I let out a deep yawn as my head began to pound. The answer was _yes, I was absolutely that desperate for coffee._

Jazz looked up just long enough to see me pour the coffee into one of the sippy cups, "You know you could've drank it right out of the pot?"

I scoffed as I sat down at the table, "I'm not an animal Jazz. Geesh."

She rolled her eyes at my antics, but despite the tired judgment I was rather enjoying the sippy-cup. I could see why Ellie always drank from this – six year old antics aside that was. I had enough dignity that this hit wouldn't do too much damage. I adjust my place in my seat and take one of the notebooks and pens in front of Jazz. I stretch my hand out, leaning back in the chair onto its back legs (promptly ignoring Jazz's warning of falling), but just shy of reaching the phone. I lean back a little bit farther and just can't seem to reach it. I concentrate hard, focusing my attention on the phone ad of the energy coursing through my veins. I could feel it flow through me, channeling through my fingers, and a green energy forms around the phone handle. It floated, shaking and slow, into my hand. I threw a cocky smile toward Jazz as I took the phone mid-air and began listening to the voicemails.

"I'm getting better at this," I couldn't help but gloat with pride, "Won't be too long until I can fully use the Force, huh Jazz?"

Telekinesis had its perks, mostly whenever I didn't feel like getting the remote. Still was pretty awesome. Jazz rolled her eyes, but I could see the hints of a small smile on her lips. It made not want to mention the sheets – I didn't want to ruin her morning this early. But I knew she'd be the one out shopping later today while I handled cases which left my time limited to go to the store to get some myself. I took a deep breath,

"I burned my sheets again," I tried my best to keep my voice casual, but it ended up coming out a bit more shaky than I wanted it to. Just like I feared, Jazz's smile turned into a concerned frown. She took a sip from her coffee with furrowed brows.

"What was it this time?"

Her voice was soft and comforting, but I shifted a bit uncomfortably, mumbling a reply under my breath as I balanced the phone between my shoulder and ear. "The same thing it's always about."

It was always the same thing – it will _always_ be that same thing. I was on table, begging and pleading for my life (Afterlife?). I was having my torso torn open, ripped apart, and burned. I was in the most pain I'd ever been in my life. I was screaming. I was on the brink of ending. I was _burning._ I swallowed hard and refused to look toward Jazz. I knew what would happen if I did. I'd see those teary-worried eyes of hers, eyes that said _I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, I'm sorry that they did this to, I'm sorry I can't make it all better like I want to, sorry, sorry, sorry._ I'd see that and then it'd be impossible not to cry. I couldn't cry right now – not over a sippy-cup full of coffee. I wanted to believe I was better than that.

I turned my attention back to the voicemails before Jazz had a chance to reply. I breathed in deeply through my nose and out between my lips to try to steady the beating in my chest and the shakiness of my hand.

"Mr. Ohshiro needs me to come back in for a follow up séance at his house," I jot that down on the notebook followed by his information, my voice only hardly wavered, but was far from its normally happy tone. "Do we have an opening left his week?"

Jazz opened her mouth, eyes still looking at me wearily, before she closed it, deciding to not argue against my subject change. She started to shift through the notebooks.

"We have one for Friday at nine, but you'd have to wrap it up fast to meet Miss Kubota at noon."

"Kubota," I repeated the name slowly, my brows furrowing, "Was she the one with reported poltergeist activity or the one with the possession?"

Sometimes I missed the ghosts from the Ghost Zone. I could still see the ghosts in this world, could still touch, _interact,_ _control, contain,_ all the things I did before, but the ghosts here were much _creepier._ In a very different way from the ones from the Zone. These were _spirits._ The ones that no normal human could see. These ones didn't _banter_ or have such an obvious obsession. They didn't talk to the living the same way and normally, I found myself interacting with them with garbled _ghost speak_ that made my human side feel _wrong_ inside. These ghosts made _everything_ feel wrong. Yet I knew what I was doing, I knew I could handle it. Possessions, demons, ghosts, poltergeists, it didn't matter. I was Danny _freaking_ Fenton, _The Phantom._ I could totally do this. _Probably._ I was doing good so far at least.

"Possession – the poltergeist is Nikashima, Thursday at five."

It was a good thing Jazz was in charge of all the scheduling, I couldn't remember the names and times for the un-life of me. _Ha I_ _kill_ _me._ But it sounded like we'd have quite a week ahead of us. Or at least I had quite a week ahead of me. I was the spiritualist after all and while Jazz was still technically one too, she focused more on the aftermath of haunting, consultations, and appointments, aka the business aspects of business. Though her idea of putting her psychology degree to use on victims processing the traumas after an encounter, haunting or possession was a rather brilliant idea. She offered a free session after a case for each victim involved – she made enough on follow-up sessions and other clients to afford it that was for sure. I put down the empty sippy-cup and took a spoon off the table, _I just bend spoons,_ I frowned, _not much help during a case._

"We only have so much silverware Danny," her voice was tiredly scolding me as she knew it was no help, "Stop breaking our spoons."

I smiled sheepishly, setting the bent spoon on the table before looking back over the notes I'd been taking. There were two more calls for a séance session – both new clients. Another was a desperate mother with a missing child, I underlined that one with a side note to move that on the top of the priority list. A haunting. A probable possession. Two future tellers – a side note to call them to inform them that we didn't do future telling nor anything of the sort. The last call on the machine made me raise an eyebrow, I motioned for Ellie and Jazz to shush and listened close.

"I'll take care of this last one," I tore out the page and slid the list of voicemails to Jazz, quickly scribbling down notes on the current one I was listening to. She eyed me cautiously at my eagerness. I set the phone down, smiling ear to ear as I leaned back in my seat, two of the chair legs lifting off the floor. Jazz sighed at my antics.

"Well? Are you going to just sit there all smug or are you going to tell me what the last call was that got you so giddy?"

"Welllll," I drawled out, "That would have been none other than the Shibuya Psychic Research group."

I felt my chest puff out in pride, my smile turning downright _maniac._ Excitement, amusement, pride, all buzzed in my chest. I wondered if this was how the cat felt after eating a canary.

"And it looks like they need my help."


	3. Strength of the Beyond Part I

**Author Note: Just a heads up, these cases will be darker and a bit more graphic than the original. Unlike the original fic, Spiritualist, these are all going to be original cases - some inspired by true stories, legends and real ghost hunting cases, others completely out of creativity and imagination. This fic is going to be longer than Spiritualist, a lot longer, and a lot more spread out as well. Please review!**

 **-CWA**

 **Edit: Mai's name has been fixed, as I've said before in many other stories _I have dyslexia_ so sometimes grammar or spelling errors like that do occur. Thank you for letting me know and I'm sorry that it was too distracting to enjoy the story. **

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO : STRENGTH OF THE BEYOND PART I**

* * *

 _Tears ran down his face, a trembling hand raised the gun higher until its barrel pressed against his temple. He didn't want to do it. Not really. It would be bloody, a horrible scene for whomever stumbled across his body. But his rope broke. This was the only way. The only way he could possibly escape. Shadows danced across the wall, almost inviting him to join, and if he listened to something beyond his pounding heart, perhaps he would have heard the cheering laughter that echoed in the distance. It made death seem fun, inviting, enticing; it lured him in and draped itself against his shoulders, weighing him down to the ground. He just couldn't stand that pressure anymore, that constant fear. Living in a house that wanted him dead – it seemed easier to just give it what it wanted._

 _In the corner of the room stood a young woman who opened her arms at him invitingly, a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes stretched across her face. She lacked the holy glow he would have expected, instead her colors were dull, blending into the shadows around her, her eyes screaming at him to not do it, but he couldn't bring himself to listen if it meant being able to see her again._

 _A loud gunshot ran through the night wind, birds flying off the tree outside of the window, cawing in distress._

* * *

Three times Danny had pulled over to the side of the road to personally look over the case file details that had been emailed to him and the directions to the location itself; the RV's computer was more than capable of reading the emails out loud as he drove, but he always had a better time absorbing information if he could see it for himself. Besides, computer voices couldn't read off the horrendous pictures attached to the case. He sucked in a sharp breath at the bloody images that were attached, scrolling through them quickly with a heavy heart and steady stomach. Men sprawled out with a gun in their hand and blood forming around their head or hanging from rope, dangling limply from the ceiling. Children with pale skin and blue veins, water pouring out their mouths with wide, empty eyes. Heads smashed in. Blood gushing out of open veins cut on wrists or necks. Knives stuck deep into chests. Some were photos, others taken from newspaper, to even polaroids. Fifty years worth of deaths in one location. He quickly closed the photo files, hands shaking as he took a deep breath. The images flashed every time he blinked, creating shudders down his spine.

 _Endo Manor_ was a haunted location, no doubt about it, and whatever was there was dark. _No wonder they need my help._ There was too much death to be considered normal for even a small town, nevertheless one particular manor. Suicides, brutal murders, drownings, the list went on. Death after death after the death. From the children and wife to the original owner, _Endo Kuohei_ , to the most recent suicide of Kawamura Yuuta that followed after his wife's own accidental death in an unsolved hit and run that happened just outside their very own gates. They left two children behind, both over the age of thirty. Kawamura Daichi had promptly left the manor, living off the property with his own wife and children. Danny supposed it was unlikely they'd be able to get in contact with him about his parents' deaths or anything that may have occurred to him at the manor itself. However, there was still Yamamoto Miyu who lived there with her current husband (as the previous had also suffered an untimely death) and her four children (two being from her first marriage, all being under the age of fourteen). She was the one who finally made the call to SPR, according to the notes added to the file, after her father's suicide. SPR made the timely decision to then contact him for his assistance.

He hoped they weren't all in over their heads. He could handle some serious cases on his own, but that was different. That was when he didn't have to worry about a group of strangers finding out his secret. He ran his fingers through his hair with a frustrated sigh. _Maybe Jazz was right, maybe this was a bad idea._ A ringing tone ran through the RV's speakers and with a press of a button, he answered the call as he pulled back onto the road.

" _Have you made it to the location yet?"_ Jazz's voice rang.

"Not quite, heading that direction now. According to GPS, I'm about five minutes out. Just had to pull off to read up on the case."

He couldn't help the shudder that ran through him. Almost sensing the tension, Jazz spoke up softly.

" _How bad is this one?"_

Danny sighed deeply, "It's… rough reading. In a course of fifty years, there's been over a hundred deaths related to the property and whomever owns it. Some are on property, some just off property, and some are unsolved or strange accidental deaths or murders off-property. Three months ago, the current owner's mother died in an unsolved hit and run just outside property gates. Last month, the owner's father committed suicide via bullet to the temple. On top of the deaths, there's been scratching, things moving on their own, shadow figures, all sorts of noises in the middle of the night like screaming. A lot of disembodied voices."

There was a pregnant pause before Jazz spoke up again, her voice tired and heavy with worry.

" _You can't exactly use all of your powers to just fix this with so many working with you. And something like this, whatever is causing all of it, is sure to know you're there as soon as you step foot outside and you're going to have a big fat target on your back. Are you sure you're ready for this?"_

Images of the photos flashed quickly through his mind, his grip tightening on the steering wheel, turning it sharply toward the manor he could see off in the short distance. His eyes narrowed at the sudden wave of energy that passed through him – sadness and anger raging through his veins. He could see a dark aura surrounding the gates and manor, wafting off with dark wisps of horror. It called to him, threatening him, trying to scare him off. If he blinked, he could see the dead entrapped in dark tendrils of evil, moving like limp puppets, their eyes screaming for help.

"I have to get rid of this thing Jazz. It doesn't matter if I'm ready for it or not."

" _Just...Be careful, little brother."_

* * *

In all of her time with SPR and 'working' under Naru, there were two things Mai knew – Naru was never going to get his own damn tea and he would _never_ willingly ask for help. Especially from someone _outside_ of the SPR. She sat down at one the edge of the back of the van with her own cup of tea, idly sipping on it as she waited for this so-called Daniel Fenton to arrive. _An American no less, I wonder what Naru is thinking._ She glanced around to see the entire group crowded around the van as well, discussing what their next move would be. Naru was looking more and more irritated as time went on and it seemed that not everyone else was happy about calling someone in to help out either.

"We need another trained professional before we proceed," Naru snapped at the group, his patience waring thin.

 _I wonder why just John isn't enough? And couldn't Ayako do something too? We're surrounded by trees._ Mai looked to a large building guarded by a heavy metal gate that they exited out of only hours ago. _We've only been on this case for a day,_ she furrowed her brows as she stared back into her cup. She couldn't stand looking at that building for too long. _It feels wrong there. It feels heavy, like someone's constantly watching us. Multiple someones. Or somethings._ She shivered, _whatever it is, it seems pretty dangerous._ She could remember the case file clearly, Naru went into great detail before they even arrived at the location. She thought back to the hysterically young woman that greeted them, the husband that spoke with a tired, dead tone in his voice, his acceptance of the situation clear, and the four children clinging to their mother's legs with hysteria.

"I'm not stupid, Naru," Monk snapped back, "I know Fenton is an esteemed spiritualist who knows what he's doing, but I don't think he's needed on this case. No one, aside from Masako, has even met the guy."

 _I wonder if Naru is only calling in this guy because Masako told him to,_ Mai thought, a bitter frown made its way onto her face. _Why does he only listen to her? And why is Masako so sure of this guy too? I've never heard of her recommending anyone before. And how does she even know some American spiritualist so personally?_

"There's too many been too many deaths and the death toll is only going to rise if we're naive enough to not ask for an extra hand. This entity here will only grow more aggressive and last out as we continue with this case. Lin's already broke an arm and it's only been one day." Naru's voice turned more passive and blank, but there was a deep frown on his lips. He was simply stating the facts, no matter how much he hated them. "I have no doubt in my mind that there will have to be an exorcism, perhaps even more than one."

 _There's that word again – exorcism,_ Mai thought. _Are we dealing with a demonic, darker force?_ She almost dropped her cup at the sudden loud roar of an engine. She turned her attention to the large vehicle approaching them – a monstrous, white van with _Fenton Flames_ written in dark letters across its side above _Spiritualist._ As it got closer, she could see a phone number written in large letters beneath that along with a website. It did a dangerous looking wide turn, its tires screeching against the pavement before it headed toward them at an even more dangerous looking speed. It didn't slow down and Mia flinched when it pulled up fast, screeching to a sudden halt. Seeing it beside their own van made theirs look smaller, she gigged at a sticker written in smaller letters closer to the bottom of the van – _Dead Men Do Tell Tales._

The driver door swung open and out walked who had to be none other than Daniel Fenton – especially as he was the only person who got out. He was younger than she excepted, looking around the same age as Naru, maybe a year older. Cuter than she thought he'd be too, she wasn't the only one who blushed at the goofy, dazzling smile he threw their way. He wore black fingerless gloves and a dark leather jacket over jeans and simple shirt that had a comically cartoon-like ghost stamped on its front.

"Well if it isn't Shibuya himself," he sauntered down, heading straight toward Naru, "When I heard it was your group calling me, I was excepting something a bit meaner considering our groups competitive nature in the field. Never thought you'd actually ask for my help. Fenton, Daniel, at your service, but please call me Danny."

He stuck a hand out toward Naru that he didn't accept, but it didn't seem to faze him as he turned his attention to Lin, "And you must be Lin, I believe we spoke on the phone? Thank you for emailing the case file and catching me up to date… And for your directions, it's like a maze getting up here."

Danny looked toward the others – smiling a bit brighter at Mia, but turning a bit more sour at Masako. "Masako, I appreciate your recommendation for my help. I didn't think I left that good of impression on you after leaving you in the dust on that missing person's case."

Masako huffed, crossing her arms against her chest with her cheeks puffing out a bit in frustration, a light flush against her face. If Mai didn't know any better, she'd say it was as if Masako's feathers got _really_ ruffled. She rarely saw the psychic medium looking so flustered. Ayako looked at the exchange with interest, an eyebrow rising with a mischievous smirk tugging at her lips. Mai was a bit glad, however, to see that Monk's previous frustration seemed to have faded as he became a bit star-struck under the smile of the apparently famous spiritualist. John merely nodded his head in greeting, Danny repeating the gesture. _He doesn't seem like a bad guy at least,_ Mai hummed, _he seems pretty nice._

"If you don't mind me asking," Yasu stepped forward with a charming smile, "What missing person's case are you referring to?"

"Some rich family's kid back in the states," Danny shrugged indifferently, "I'm pretty sure they just wanted the publicity that Masako's TV show would offer since they didn't seem too impressed with her skills as a medium." Masako glared harshly, her frustration becoming more apparent, causing Mai to giggle. Danny winced and turned to the medium, "No offense, Masako, you're a very skilled medium, but unless the child's disappearance was paranormal in nature or he was dead, your skills just simply weren't suited to the case."

"So how were you able to track down the child," John stepped in, a curious expression on his face.

"Psychic residue, mostly. They had some things of the kids I was able to get impressions from and vague memories, visions, and eventually it allowed me to follow a trail. Led me through the woods and the closer I got, the stronger I could feel his aura and the more visions of what had occurred previously kept appearing." Danny stuck his hands in his pockets, shifting a bit on his feet, "Auras, psychic tracking, seances, are all my preferred fields of expertise, but I've done my fair share of exorcisms and other odd-ends."

 _I think he's trying to down play his abilities,_ Mai furrowed her brows, _there has to be more to what he can do and what he's capable of if he's as famous as Monk says._ John seemed satisfied with the answer, however, nodding along to the explanation with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Where were you ordained?"

"Vatican, Catholic practices mostly," Danny's eyes glanced toward the property behind the gate briefly, his eyes narrowing, before he continued, "But I've practiced a few different rituals and practices. Wiccan, Jewish, the list goes on. Different entities require different methods, sometimes a Jewish demon requires a Jewish exorcism rather than a Catholic one, you know?"

He turned to Naru, his eyes still shifting toward the property through the corners of his eyes. He watched it more closely than he appeared and if one were to look too closely, they may have noticed the way his eyes seemed to glow a sharp green from within their irises. It was a beautiful property, a large long yawn full of well-trimmed bushes and trees and flowers with a long, curving driveway toward the large almost mansion-like home. Golden, intricate fences lining the edges with an enchantingly tall, impressive arched gate. He could see it being a nice place to live, sometime after the large dark abyss surrounding the gateway was gone. It was larger than the gate itself, dark wisps wrapping themselves between the bars, but not daring to go out. It just stood there, faceless, bodiless, yet he knew it was looking right at them. Far enough that it couldn't be sensed by Masako or another medium, but close enough it could hear every word of any potential plan. _Sentient,_ Danny noted, _that makes it even more dangerous._

"Do you have a safe base location set up yet? Somewhere it can't see or here us to discuss our plan of action?"

Naru nodded solemnly and with a wave of his hand, the team was able to pile into the van, forcing Mai to move off its edge with a disgruntled groan. The large group managed to fit somewhat comfortably into the large van, though there was hardly enough room for anyone to move around too fast. He was careful to stick to the edges of the van, closer to the back that still hung open, stretching himself out as much as he could to create a human shield between the interior of the van and its exterior. From over his shoulder, he could see the shadow form at the gates wisp around more fiercely, growing angry at the group's exclusion. He tried hard to hide his smirk, letting his own aura seep from his body to create a shield of protection and security around the van. Combined with the blessings he could feel seeped into the van's metal and the vigils that seemed carefully painted along the interior backdoors, he could speak more comfortably without worrying about being overheard.

"It liked to watch us the whole time," Danny spoke up first, "It stood at the gates watching and listening, probably hoping to hear the entire plan so it could stop us before we could begin."

That shocked a majority of the group, turning at him with wide eyes. Naru nodded his head, his lips thinning, not surprised by the revelation so much at the fact that Danny was able to see it so clearly. He knew that the entity was there, he could feel it deep in his bones and perhaps if Masako or Mai's abilities were stronger, they may have been able to feel it as well. Yet to be able to see it so clearly enough to deduce what it was doing and get a clear reading from it required more strength.

Mai shivered at the news, wrapping her arms tightly around herself, her tea sitting off to the side forgotten. _I knew something was watching us. I wonder how he was_ _able to sense it that well so fast though, he only just got here. But how long was it there watching and listening? Did it know Danny was coming?_

"And where exactly are we going to begin," Monk was the first to speak up, his arms crossed sternly against his chest, shoving his admiration toward the famous Spiritualist aside in favor of getting the case done.

"We've already spoken to the family," John began, turning toward Danny, "We were in the middle of our first walk-through when Lin broke his arm."

Danny nodded at the information, a frown on his lips, "Then our first step would be completing the walk-through. I have some charms and blessed medallions that will help add some protection so no one else gets hurt. Were there any cameras set up yet?"

Naru stepped in, "We have five set up so far – the main entrance lobby, two of the main halls, the kitchen, and the bottom floor master bedroom. All locations of various suicides."

 _I wonder why everyone's jumping to Danny,_ Mai thought curiously, _maybe it's because he has more experience or abilities?_ Though Danny did appear to jump into the roll of a leader-like stance naturally, collecting the needing information and quickly analyzing what needed to get done. He glanced around the van, eying the camera screens set up to one side, and nodded approvingly.

"Okay here's what I think. Lin should stay here and watch over the camera screens carefully. I'll put up the medallions and blessings on each of us for safety precautions and I think every member should do a prayer or blessing of their faith for more personal, mindful spiritual protection as well. We finish the first floor as a group before splitting into two groups – one will take the second floor, the other the third. We finish the initial walk-through and I'll talk to the family myself to also get a reading on them and how much protection they'll need before we proceed."

Masako watched Danny carefully, with a thoughtful expression on her face as she nodded approvingly. _This_ was why she recommended Danny. She could remember the missing person's case clearly and the young Fenton she met – a bit arrogant, too carefree, and a tad careless. Yet as the case turned more dire, he changed drastically. Suddenly, he wasn't making puns and nudging her to laugh nor was he acting like he was the biggest, baddest Spiritualist in the world. He took control of the situation with a firm, deciding tone. He wasn't a joke, but instead he became the powerful Spiritualist she had heard of, not hesitating to throw himself into the forest regardless of any dangers if it meant protecting someone. _Somewhere, deep down, is a natural born leader –_ she glanced between Naru and Danny carefully – _it almost makes him attractive. Almost._ She was surprised, however, when Danny took a deep breath and turned to Naru, his voice deadly serious.

"But it's your team. I won't do anything regarding them that is without your approval and if I step outside of my boundaries as an outside source, tell me to back off."

Naru stood his ground firmly, nothing on his face portraying how impressed he was at Fenton's admission.

"Noted," he turned to the others, "Mai, stay here with Lin. As for everyone else, follow Fenton's plan for now."

He was the first out of the van, ignoring Mia's protests, everyone else following suit – Monk hesitated, watching between Mai, Lin, and Danny before he stepped out of the van. Danny stayed longer than anyone else, pausing to look at Mai with sympathy and understanding. He placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

"I can feel your energy," Danny stated softly, "And I'm sure Naru does too. You have a lot of potential to become powerful and helpful. But until your abilities are honed and trained, you'd be nothing but a target in there. He's just looking out for your safety…. I think."

He offered her a small smile that she returned, some of her anger vanishing at his comforting words, before he too disappeared out of the van toward the others. She watched them all gather around Fenton's van briefly to be blessed and gather their protection. She just hoped that whatever protection Danny could offer, that it would be enough.


	4. Strength of the Beyond Part II

**I think that this has turned more into an alternative version of Spiritualist, or more into its own story than a rewrite but either way, I think this is going to be good trip that I hope you all join me on and enjoy. Please review!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE: THE STRENGHT OF THE BEYOND PART II**

* * *

Danny could feel it the entire time, just lingering in the shadows and corners, watching them, waiting for the chance to strike. Likely, it was trying to assess the threat before an attack, but it was only a matter of time. He entered each room with narrow, calculating eyes, letting his energy pour from him in warning to everything around him. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the darker presence in the corners retreat away from him at the use of power. _Good. It's not indestructible._ The cameras had already been set up on the first floor along with EMF readings and initial notes – the exact spots of suicides were noted as colder than the surrounding area, the master bedroom on the lower floor was colder as a whole (likely due to more murders taking place in there as well as suicides). That left his group – including Monk, whom he learned was actually a monk despite looking like a rock musician, and John, an Australian priest _–_ to the do the third floor while below them, Naru, Masako, and Ayako were at work. Yasu had left shortly after they entered the mansion to return to the van, claiming that he didn't feel very comfortable and was more suited to watch over the cameras than to investigate. No one argued with him.

He let out a vile cough as they ascended the stairs, lifting the collar of his shirt to cover his nose and mouth. One hand went to the railing to support himself until the coughing subsided, the other idly hovering over where his inhaler sat in his pocket. Monk patted his back roughly in support, causing Danny to choke on one last violent cough, briefly shooting a glare at the sheepish monk.

"Asthma," he explained as he lowered the collar, "Doesn't exactly work in my favor at old locations and it seems like they don't really use the third floor."

He eyed the covers over the paintings on the wall and the dusty sheets draped over any furniture. The dust was thick enough that if he were to drag a finger against the wall, it would leave a clean mark behind. He couldn't hide his disgusted expression and apparently, neither could the others.

"The wife said no one came up here anymore," Monk carefully walked across the floor, testing each floorboard with one foot before he stepped onto it with his full weight. "I didn't think she meant for the last ten years! This is ridiculous!"

He couldn't hide his disgust, his face portraying all of his emotions.

"Just be careful." John walked calmly across the room, his Bible in front of his chest, "And be on the lookout for anything unusual. Danny, what is the best place for the cameras?"

Danny had to stop to let out another small series of coughs before he answered. "Probably here at the top of the stairs and one in each room at least. Maybe do another at the end of the hall too to cover the full hallway while this one would cover down the staircase. Can't be too careful."

He set up the camera in question with ease, despite the weight of the equipment. Monk watched him carefully, the way Danny's eyes were narrowed in concentration yet kept dodging around the area. He raised an eyebrow at the way Danny kept shuddering or moving off to the side suddenly, wondering if perhaps there was something there that he simply could not see.

"Everything alright," Monk asked carefully, daring to step a bit closer, a hand reaching out to help if needed. Danny ignored the offered hand, waving it off.

"I'm fine, there's just a lot of restless spirits here that keep making jabs at me. More annoying than anything else."

He swatted at thin air, moving off to the side yet again to dodge something the normal eye couldn't perceive. His comment grabbed attention as John turned sharply with concern.

"Are they harmless," John asks tentatively, "Is it going to be a problem?"

Danny furrowed his brows, standing up as he finished the camera set up. "A problem? Nah, not these. Restless spirits was a… broad term. These guys are more like imprints."

He walked over to the wall, pressing his palm against it. He could feel it stirring underneath his skin, energy shooting out at him only to get soaked into his own energy. If he closed his eyes and listened, he could hear their faint moaning and the sounds of gunshots. The energy beneath him felt like static electricity attracting to him. It wasn't uncommon – energy from previous deaths were bound to be left behind if the deaths were traumatic enough or big enough.

"I don't think they're the ones that this entity has trapped though, these ones feel…. Residual. It's just the deaths, soaked into the walls and floorboards. Nothing sentient, nothing even remotely related to actual spirits. Just these deaths… replaying over and over again in the spot they took place. We'll probably find some more downstairs, it's just stronger up here, probably since this is where the first deaths took place."

"So why are they lashing at you then," Monk put his hand close to Danny's on the wall and while he didn't feel much, he could admit that the wall felt colder and more textured than the wallpaper should have allowed.

"Lashing is a strong word to use," Danny winced, "You know how you're not supposed to water on an oil fire? Same thing here. The energy is reacting to my presence on a primal level that doesn't really mean sentience. There's some noise, but it's nothing different than the noise this energy would normally cause. Just a kettle whistling from the recreation."

"But it's not related to the entity," John pressed for clarity, his brows furrowing at Danny's explanation; in some way, it made sense. He wasn't a stranger to people's past lives or experiences imprinting their energy into the area around them. However, he wasn't sure if residual energy could respond the way Danny's describing unless his own energy is strong enough to interfere and soak into the area as well. The odds of any type of psychic having enough energy to get a reaction from residual energy around them was slim and practically unheard of.

Danny nodded, "Yeah residual energy like this is just that – residual. It's not something anything could feed from and once I'm out of here, the energy's reaction will die down. It won't be able to interact with the living or the people here beyond residual noises – noises and things that had already happened and just keep replaying over and over, regardless of what else is going on. My guess is this residual energy is just related to the deaths, but not the spirits. I'm sure after we get the spirits gone and the entity exercised, it's likely the family here will still here gunshots and probably some moaning from the suicides and murders."

Monk and John nodded at the information – that sounded more like the residual energy they were used to, yet the idea of something even if it was harmless, still at the house after they would be finished didn't sit well.

"Would there be anything we could do to lower the amount of residual energy whenever we get finished here?"

Danny scratched the back of his neck, carefully thinking over Monk's question, "Maybe. If the family wants it gone, I guess sometime after we finish up I could come back and take care of it…But nothing is going to happen if we don't finish this up. We still have cameras to set up and readings to take."

Despite the questions that stirred in their minds, such as how Danny would get rid of the energy, but it was clear that Danny had no intentions of answering anymore questions. Monk's eyes narrowed, unsure what to make of the psychic's avoidance of questions. He understood the need for privacy when it came to personal techniques, but Danny made it sound as if he could rid the energy all together. He knew there were psychics capable of lowering residual energy, but it would take a group of at least three psychics to transfer and remove the energy itself. Danny, however, didn't strike him as the type to join up with others that often. He seemed to be doing fine so far with their little group, but there was a lot that remained to be seen. _Like just how powerful this guy really is._

They worked in solemn silence, Monk groaning and shifting at the weight of the cameras he set up, eying Danny's ease with them with jealous envy. _Maybe he wears that jacket to hide how ripped he is,_ Monk thought bitterly, only to be a bit more annoyed when Danny took the cameras from his arms. His easy smile made Monk's tension disappear slightly. _Give the guy a break Monk, he just wants to help. He hasn't done anything wrong. Yet._

"So Danny," Monk spoke up, "You have your own research center, so why did you take up Lin's call and come down here? I'd imagine a big shot like you would have his hands too full to help."

Danny sighed slightly as he finished up another camera in one of the top rooms, "I do have my schedule pretty filled, but it's really hard to turn down such a major case. If Shibuya had to swallow down his own pride enough to ask for help, I knew you guys must've really needed it. My sister says I have too much of a heroic complex – it's hard not to help when you know you have people that need you."

"A sister," John asked curiously, "Considering you showed up alone, I thought you ran _Fenton Flames_ by yourself."

Danny snorted, "Nah, I'm not that organized. My older sister, Jazz, takes care of the actual business aspects of our organization. I just do all the grunt work. I couldn't do all of this without her." His eyes grew soft and a bit distance as his work pace slowed, almost freezing to a stop. "I know she has her hands full between the business and watching over our little sister. I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate her help."

Monk's expression softened, placing a hand on Danny's shoulder. Danny may have not said it, but both Monk and John caught the underling fact – Danny must not have parents around if it was just him and his sister at the organization, with her looking after their younger sister at that. It was something that didn't simply happen if there were parents involved to look after the youngest or to help their children. Danny tensed a bit at the touch, but quickly relaxed and released a deep breath at Monk's comforting gesture. He offered a small smile in appreciation before the hand dropped, Monk giving him a solid nod of understanding.

"Well, there's no use standing around here," Monk announced, "Why don't we finish this up to rejoin with the others?"

* * *

Yasu watched over the cameras carefully, Lin sitting calmly beside him. Their evidence wasn't necessarily lacking, but nothing huge stood out as of yet. Thanks to the microphones Danny and the others wore, they wrote down Danny's notes of residual energy on the third floor along with another that it was possible there it went around the whole property due to the amount of deaths. Their notebooks in front of them listed numerous camera numbers and locations, as well as time stamps for particular noises and movement that wasn't due to their team members – a portrait on the stairway wall close to the third floor suddenly turning frantically around on its hook before stopping just before Danny and others walked downstairs, a few orbs in the lower level master bedroom, a shadow on the second floor.

Mai had chosen to use her time taking a much-needed nap in the back of the van – only after Yasu heavily insisted she got her rest. He didn't have the heart to tell her that with a case this dangerous, they may need whatever information and flashbacks she could acquire in her dreams.

"Wait Lin," Yasu paused, his eyebrows furrowed as he removed his headset to turn to his companion, "Go back ten seconds on camera three, floor two. I thought I heard something."

Lin nodded, doing as asked, paying close attention to his own headset audio. Camera three flashed on the screen as the video rewound – Naru's group had just went by the camera when it pressed play. There was distant sounds of Ayako and Masako talking the far background, but closer to the camera there was another voice. Soft and broken, they listened closer. Lin took the audio and clipped it into a separate file, nodding toward Yasu to go ahead and watch the present-playing cameras for anymore evidence as he isolated the sound as much as he could. Suddenly, Lin took off his headset and rushed to grab his walkie.

"Naru this is Lin," Lin barked into the device, "Be careful, we caught some audio by your group that can mean trouble."

There was a static-filled pause.

 _"What did it say?"_

Lin's expression turned solemn, his eyes narrowed dangerously, "It wants to kill again."

* * *

 _Where am I, Mai thought as she wandered through a dark hallway. Shadows lurked around her, just shy of touching her. Am I back in the house? She didn't remember going back in – Naru and the others were fairly adamant about her not joining them, despite how frustrated it made her that she couldn't help. She wandered through the hall and as the fuzziness of her surroundings sunk in, she knew that she had to be dreaming. Again. Great – this is just great, dreamwalking or astral projection or whatever, right through a house where something is supposed to be sucking the life out of spirits. She shivered, bringing her arms in close around her body. She wondered if, when she was like this, if she was like a spirit. I don't want to find out if it can do it to me. Her heart pounded within her chest. She wanted to help, but not like this. Everything felt so wrong, as if something was lingering just behind her. She wasn't sure if she wanted to look behind her shoulder to find out if that feeling was right. Her spine tingled, her gut screaming at her that someone, or something, was following right behind her. Her pace quickened. She could feel a cold breath down the back of her neck, the hair on her arms standing straight up as it broke out into goosebumps. She could feel arms wrapping around her, but a sudden bright light up ahead caused it to let go, as if burned._

 _She wasn't sure what the light was, but she basked in the warmth it created. It felt… safe. It was homely and if she took in a deep breath, she welcomed the scent of fresh jasmine tea. She closed her eyes and let it wrap itself around her, pulling her into its depths. It felt good, pure. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, squinting as the light briefly blinded her. As her eyes adjusted, she walked toward the source of the light. I'll take it over what's behind me. It drowned out the dark shadows, the creepy evil lurking sensation of the walls. She could see a figure within the light, illuminating against it. Who is that? She got closer, blinking rapidly before finally, it was apparent the figure was Danny. He stood at the end of the hall talking to someone around the corner. He didn't seem to notice nor care about the blinding light around him and if she looked even closer, she could swear it was if the light was coming from within him. Maybe that's an aura? But why is his so bright? She never heard of auras producing such strong feelings either._

 _She could feel the dark presence still lurking, just shy of the light. From the corner of her eyes, she could see it. It was there pinned against the wall like a caged animal, towering up into the ceiling to avoid the light. She couldn't help but turn from the light to look at it directly. She covered her mouth as she let out a horrified gasp, her heart beating wildly in her chest as her eyes grew wide with fear. It was so wrong – so evil. It stared directly at her and as it let out a deathly, horrifying screech, she crumbled to her knees, desperately clasping her ears with her hands. It felt as if it were a thousand damned souls screaming all at once, screeching as their life was taken away from them and they were forced to a horrible death. Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes and she was only faintly aware of a liquid-like substance between her fingers._

 _She looked up desperately, only to meet Danny's eyes. It was if he saw her, saw everything, his expression softening in pity before he turned to the entity with a harsh glare. Everything grew fuzzier as her eyes became heavy. She could see a flash of bright green before she was knocked out._

* * *

Mai woke up with a start, sweat gathering on her brow as she panted heavily for air. Her hand went to her chest in an attempt to calm her ever-beating heart. She could feel tears bristling at her eyes once more, the screech still echoing in her mind. _What was that?_ _That was too much to be a dream so I must have astral projected again_ _._ She couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in her chest, the image of the dark entity she saw blaring in her mind. The idea that what she saw was actually there in the house made her skin crawl.

Yasu was quick to get to her, helping her sit up as his eyes shined with worry and concern. Lin glanced over to them, his eyes narrowing as he saw Mai's state.

"What did you see," Lin's voice was curt and lacked any warmth or understanding – if Mai didn't know any better, he sounded frantic. Desperate even.

"I saw the entity," Mai's voice trembled as much as her body, she drew her arms in close to her and hugged herself tightly in an effort to gain any comfort. Tears bristled at the corners of her eyes and she tried her best to blink them away. "It's so… evil. I was in the house and it tried to get to me, but -"

"-But what," Lin's patience was growing thin. With the voice they overheard, they couldn't afford any chances. Anything she may have saw or did could make the difference on whether or not that entity succeeds in its plans. "What stopped it from getting you?"

Mai was quiet too long for Lin's liking. She refused to look up at any of them as she thought everything over carefully. She could swear that Danny actually saw her, but that was impossible – right?

"A light," she finally answered, "A big, bright white light. I walked to it and… there was Danny. He was standing right in the middle of the light, like he was the one emitting it. I… It was like he saw me and the entity, like he was trying to protect me. But the entity didn't like it. It just kept screaming…. I saw a green light and then suddenly, I woke up."

She looked up at them with wide eyes, "But that's impossible, isn't it? He can't have the strong of an aura, can he?"

Lin frowned thoughtfully, "It's unheard of, but I wouldn't say impossible…"

He doubted that Danny could have seen Mai and the entity, at least in the clarity Mai was claiming. To have that much of a connection to the other side wasn't just unheard of, but it truly was impossible. _But if he really does have that power and if his aura is strong enough and pure enough to repeal the entity…_ Lin's eyes sharpened as he grabbed the walkie yet again, calling out another order.

"Naru – be on the lookout for Danny. He might be in danger."


End file.
